Sport Innovation/GET Data Logging

Data logging in motorsports is becoming increasingly more popular as the sports grow larger and demand for the competitive edge is increased. Data logging has mostly been used in road motorsports such as car racing and road motorcycle racing. Devices such as the Race Logic data logger can provide information on if the car is losing traction when braking or on acceleration out of a corner, GPS data on speeds and track sector times and cornering forces (Velocitybox, 2012). Various other products have similar applications used in MotoGP however all these technologies have been applied to these types of road going motorsport for sometime now. Recently the emergence of the use of these technologies have been adapted to the sport of motocross with the latest product by GET, the M40 Data Logger with built in GPS. The below video shows some of the demands of motocross racing.

As motocross is a high level professional sport with many major sponsors to get the competitive advantage is a must for every rider and team. The device is pictured in the link below on Motocross/Supercross World Champion James Stewarts Factory Yamaha motocross bike.

As the tracks raced on are dirt, it creates a lot of tire spin (loss of traction) when racing. More traction equals more acceleration off the start and out of corners. This somewhat contrary to what some may think. A hard track will have less traction because the tires slip easier. This is because the knobs on the tire cant dig into the dirt to gain grip. When the dirt is soft and heavy such as clay the tire can grip down into the dirt and gain more acceleration. However this is not the case on deep stand tracks where there will be less grip because of the loose sand further complicating the riders decisions on bike set up.

The GET system enables the rider to have up to 25 different engine settings so the power of the bike can be easily adjusted to suit the traction of the track. For example a hard dirt track would cause more loss of traction so the low range power of the engine would need to be dulled down where as softer dirt track would cause lots more traction and the low range power could be increased to gain more acceleration. More information is also provided for the race in regards to how much throttle they are using. The GET systems logs throttle position and combined with the traction information can provide more rider feedback on if they are using too much or enough throttle around the track. This is very useful for the rider as each weekend the tracks are different and a lightly different throttle technique is needed. The data is logged and stored to be downloaded onto a computer program that comes with the GET system and provides all this information for the mechanic or data specialist to assess and make changes. You can see a photo of the layout of the GET system in regards to the data logger, the GPS and the computer that can be found on page 8 of the GET 40 Data Logger manual.

The GPS unit uses a spherical positioning algorithm in order to identify the position of the satellite above. The system tracks at least four satellites to produce a 3D position of the receiver. There are 24 satellites that are arranged in orbits at 55 degrees to the equator and are between 18000 and 20000 km from the Earth. Each satellite completely rotates the earth in 12 hours. The GPS operates at 5Hz which means there are 5Hz GPS updates from the satellites per second. The main features and some photos of the GET M40 system can also be seen at this link below.

The GPS unit that accompanies the M40 Data logger is used to track the rider around the track and gain information on speed, track position and lap times. This information is vital to make changes to the bike and the rider during racing and practice. Below is a link to the manual where on page 19 you can see the Get computer program image that provides the information from the GPS in regards to the track being raced on.

In practice the rider will be able to use the GPS system to see how fast he/she is riding on particular practice day compared to others. This application can also be used against other riders with the GET GPS system and once a data base is built up for different tracks it can be very useful for setting up a bike for a particular track (in regards to suspension, engine, tires) during the competition season. This would certainly help riders and their teams gain a competitive edge against those who do not currently use a GPS system like the GET. For example a rider may compare his/her starts to another rider with the same M40 system. The information from the GPS will be able to show how much acceleration over 70 meters each rider is getting and make adjustments to the engine or even tires to match or to improve performance over the other rider. This is especially advantages on teams that have more than one rider to use comparable data so they get to the race already with an advantageous bike setting.

FAQ about the Get M40 Data Logger

Q: How much does it cost?

A: €790 available from www.getdata.it

Q:How long is a typical motocross circuit?

A: A Typical motocross circuit is between 1 minute and 2min 30 seconds. See video below of a single lap.